Tuesday, March 18, 2014

On Feb. 17, 2014, gathering in Istanbul at a meeting organized by Turkish Review and Hira magazines, Arab and Turkish intellectuals have discussed the role of the state in Muslim societies and agreed that Islamist politicians have lost their test with power, as they were transformed by the state instead of transforming the state.

Mustafa Yesil, President of the Journalists and Writers Foundation, speaks on the Hizmet Movement’s stance on the recent issues in Turkey:"Hizmet is a human-centered conciliatory civil society movement with a constructive attitude. It gets its references from the Qur'an and sunnah by all means. It is a civil entity that establishes relations with different segments of society in the same way the Prophet Muhammad did; partners in projects with them; and gets along by embracing pluralism as one of its principles in building societal peace.It has never chosen fighting as a solution. It has never believed fighting takes us anywhere. When the current unrest first came up, after the December 17th corruption operation, the Honorable Gulen sent a letter to the President and said these words: “We, as a movement of 50 years, or 100 in a sense, have never made a concession, or changed any of our principles and values . We are still standing up for the same values and principles that made us support AK Party in the past. If our friends, who have moved away from their initial values and principles and drifted around, re-embrace their past principles they will finds us at the very same place. We can assure that. For the sake of restoring peace, if they take one step, we are ready to take 10 steps in return.If there’s a misconduct or corruption, the ruling party should stop viewing it as an operation targeting its existence. Because corruption is not peculiar to AK Party period. It happened in the past too. And just like the other politicians did in the past AK Party can adopt the same stance against it too. No wonder that there will be people who illegally take advantage of a party in power for nearly 10-12 years now. There will be some who get dirty or show deviations in their feelings and reason. There’s nothing more understandable than that. What needs to be done here is to eliminate this damaging group of people and let the AK Party carry on with its previously powerful principles. However, we find it hard to understand that allegations that the current corruption probe -referred to as a judicial coup- targets the government has been persistently kept on the agenda. There’s no way to explain or prove the allegation that Hizmet people in the police force and judiciary -- or the parallel structure as they refer to-- staged a coup on the government. Although he kept saying since then that he would prove it, -It’s been two months and-, unfortunately, no actor or criminal has been held accountable or charged yet.Peace and unity over this issue will contribute not only to our own solidarity and unity but to the region’s as well. Especially this country which has become a beacon of hope, shouldn’t be disheartened. We are ready to make any sacrifice on our part. Gulen even said, “If I am supposed to call on any particular people for the sake of reconciliation and unity in the country, I will do that. If what your actual intention is to be politically supported by our friends, we are still at the very same place as long as you advocate democracy and rule of law. When you return from where you are drifted, you will see us standing by your side with the same affection and proximity."